Over The Top Fest – Cool Dad, The Narrative, Hunter @ Sneaky Dee’s
Sneaky Dee’s is on the corner of Bathurst and College. It’s not a bad little place, I visited it for the first time last night. It’s a typical small club, basically divided into two gathering places, the stage and the bar. I got there early for this show and by almost 10pm there was a gathering of about 50-75 people, however, as is the case for many of these clubs the sound echoed around the expanse making it seem like closer to double that amount of people were there. I didn’t think that would bode well so I walked around to get a good spot where the sound wouldn’t suck and there wouldn’t be too much conversation. I ended up halfway between the sound board and the front door. Not a bad spot, I could hear really well but being short I gave up trying to see anything.
First up was Cool Dad. This is a quirky little duo who play keyboards and drums. That’s it, just keyboard and drums. This lent itself to the duo being unique and original in their arrangements and compositions. Most of the music had a carnival/circus-ey vibe with undertones of old blues such as “House of the Rising Sun” or hints of songs that brought to mind chain gangs or old slave songs and at times I thought I heard some Balkan/gypsy melodies. As I said, very original. The vocals weren’t so much sung as shouted with the occasional scream, one or two actually had a discernible melody. Not that the songs lacked melody just that it wasn’t the typical kind you hear in pop music, it was more a-tonal and non-conformist.
I really enjoyed Cool Dad for the first half of their set and the crowd, which by now numbered about 150, seemed attentive but by about the half-way mark the crowd started to thin at the front and the conversation almost took over. They need to learn how to keep the crowd entertained for the whole set so, although, their quirkiness reminded me of USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker) before they became “big”, Cool Dad just doesn’t have the charisma or chops to entertain the crowd the way USS does. By the end of their set, their uniqueness had given way to repetitiveness and tedium. There were only about 20 people actually paying attention and only a smattering of applause at the end. Shame really since I really liked the fact that they were willing to put themselves out there when their music is so far “out there” that the USS Enterprise would have trouble finding them. You can check them out on their MySpace page.
Lookin For A House by Cool Dad
The Narrative took the stage next. The first couple of songs were a complete write-off as there were problems with the sound. The vocals were lost and incomprehensible, just could not understand a word that was spoken. There was feedback and at times the mix was so bad as to be almost unlistenable but by the third song the sound improved and the rest of the set was trouble-free with the exception that I still had trouble hearing what the female vocalist was saying. The crowd seemed more amenable to the Narrative’s more melodious and accessible music. Their sound is a bit like Metric or the Stars with hints of Death Cab for Cutie and by the end of their set they had amassed an appreciative crowd of about 100-125 people.
The vocals were nice and the rhythm section were particularly outstanding. I always appreciate a rhythm section that knows what they are doing and can support and direct a song assertively without getting in the way of the melody. The Jesse Gabriel sounded a lot like Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent, which isn’t a bad thing and suited the style of music well. Suzie Zeldin’s vocals were more like Amy Milan and harmonized well with Jesse’s. They are definitely a band worth checking out, I suspect they are much better than what I heard last night. You can find them on MySpace and they have two Ontario shows coming up, one in St. Catharines and the other in Peterborough. Check them out if you are in the area.
The Moment That It Stops by The Narrative
The last band I saw was Hunter. They market themselves as a band that “…make music they want to make” and they “…hope it makes you want to break things.” This is the band the crowd had been waiting for as there is a sudden rush to the stage. By now Sneaky Dee’s has filled almost to capacity and the crowd is very enthusiastic. I have to admit that Hunter is extremely talented at what they do. They had the audience rapt and completely locked onto what was happening on that stage. They are very good. I left after the third song. It really isn’t my kind of music and I had to leave to catch a ride but they really are a very, very good band. I don’t know what this kind of music is called, screamo? (ed. note, probably hardcore), but it sure was energetic and if I was into it, I’m sure I would have been throwing myself around the room like some of the younger audience members were doing. As I said, a very good band, making good music that is obviously popular but just not my cuppa tea. Check them out on MySpace.
Straight Edge for November by Hunter
Tonight I’m either off to see Green Go, Shellshag, Fiasco, Guest Bedroom & Bayonets at Sneaky Dees or Five Blank Pages with Oh No Forest Fires & Boys Who Say No at the Mod Club. Oh No Forest Fires and Boys Who Say No are also playing NXNE in June. Today is the last day for Over The Top.
Tags: concert, Over The Top
